More from Orlando Calling: Bob Seger, Kid Rock, Blake Shelton

Nov. 14, 2011

Updated Aug. 21, 2013 1:17 p.m.

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Fans pause for a photo while enjoying Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band on Sunday at Orlando Calling, the second day of the first-ever Florida festival that combined modern rock favorites like the Killers, the Raconteurs and Pixies (on Saturday) with mainstream and Americana acts like Seger, Kid Rock, Blake Shelton and the Doobie Brothers during the closing half. DAVID HALL, FOR THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band headlined Sunday at Orlando Calling. DAVID HALL, FOR THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Kid Rock smiles at his massive audience Sunday at Orlando Calling. DAVID HALL, FOR THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Blake Shelton beams at his fans on Sunday at Orlando Calling. DAVID HALL, FOR THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Local fans pause to pose for a photo early in the afternoon on Sunday at Orlando Calling at the Citrus Bowl in Florida. DAVID HALL, FOR THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Fans pose with some psychedelic merchandise on Sunday at Orlando Calling. DAVID HALL, FOR THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Robert Randolph performs Sunday at Orlando Calling. DAVID HALL, FOR THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Robert Randolph and the Family Band get into a bluesy jam Sunday at Orlando Calling. DAVID HALL, FOR THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

Fans pause for a photo while enjoying Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band on Sunday at Orlando Calling, the second day of the first-ever Florida festival that combined modern rock favorites like the Killers, the Raconteurs and Pixies (on Saturday) with mainstream and Americana acts like Seger, Kid Rock, Blake Shelton and the Doobie Brothers during the closing half. DAVID HALL, FOR THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

By the time the Warren Haynes Band swept onto the main stage Sunday, at about 2:30 p.m., it was clear that tickets for this second and final day of Orlando Calling – a first-year festival held at the Citrus Bowl – were a much hotter commodity than those for the previous day.

Already the crowd on the stadium floor matched the magnitude of Day 1, but while there were mostly empty seats on Saturday in the bleachers at this same point in the afternoon, here they were packed with Heineken-guzzling fans in cowboy hats.

And as the time grew nearer for the headliners, Kid Rock (above) and Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band, the audience swelled exponentially, waning only slightly when chunks of people wandered over to side stages for other prominent acts.

Robert Randolph and the Family Band, who played shortly after Gov't Mule's Haynes, was one of those. Randolph is as dexterous as pedal-steel guitarists come, and I sincerely would’ve enjoyed a full set of relaxing on the fest’s lush green grass (no dust problems here, unlike so many other fests), soaking up his intricate waves of blues, funk and soul.

But that would have meant sacrificing time with the Doobie Brothers – who, though not as immensely popular as the day’s headliner’s, were certainly a top attraction for many in attendance. Countless voices rang out for the two opening classic cuts, “Jesus Is Just Alright” and “Rockin’ Down the Highway.” And based on mass cheers and dancing, I’d say most were equally thrilled to rock out to brand new tunes like “Brighter Day” and “World Gone Crazy” (also the name of the group's latest album), though the Bros openly admitted they’d only tried them “about three times.”

It was a testament to the long-running band’s professionalism and talent (still powered by original members Tom Johnston and Patrick Simmons) that those new cuts resounded nearly as powerfully as FM staples like “Black Water.” But they weren’t the only seasoned musicians who impressed with finesse unfettered by (sometimes tumultuous) years of rockin’ and touring.

Also in that category this day: legendary bluesman Buddy Guy. The 75-year-old guitar genius gave Jack White (who killed it Saturday with the Raconteurs) a run for his money, both in licks and youthful showmanship. No matter how many times I see Guy perform “Hoochie Coochie Man,” it will never get old – his relentless rounds of lightning-fast hammer-ons and flawless bends (often sans pick hand) left me and a few thousand others cheering for more.

Frankly, I could’ve left right after that set and still considered this new event a roaring success. But there were several other acts left to see that elevated this inaugural Orlando Calling to world-class festival status. I wouldn’t necessarily place Blake Shelton, Brandi Carlile and Dwight Yoakam at that level of drawing power, yet each artist had fair turns this day.

Shelton was dashing from the get-go, his off-center grin and cowboy swagger making women swoon from all corners of the stadium as he powered through jams such as “All About Tonight,” “Some Beach” and the hit single “Austin.” There were so many females desperately screaming “I LOVE YOU!” that it began to feel like a Backstreet Boys concert. Good for Shelton: he’s got all-star looks and die-hard fans. But that doesn’t justify coming off a little overly cocky as he did this evening.

Mentioning that he looked over the day’s lineup before his appearance, he said, “I realized I’m really the only country act out here today.”

Yeah … not really, dude. Must’ve carelessly overlooked Chris Isaak – who pulled out a rousing cover of Johnny Cash’s “Ring of Fire” to round out his set – and Brandi Carlile (here as part of her first band-free tour). The latter’s best ballads – “Follow,” “Dreams” and a new cut, “Raise Hell,” her “favorite” of the songs she’s written – are undoubtedly more pop-oriented, yet each was nonetheless imbued with significantly twangy vocals.

And it’s certainly inconceivable that Shelton hasn’t heard of Dwight Yoakam, the Kentucky native once named by none other than The Man in Black as his favorite country singer. Considering Yoakam was scheduled up against Kid Rock, he managed to draw a sizable audience on the second stage, all his most loyal fans jovially belting out timeless tunes like Buck Owens’ “Act Naturally” along with him.

Funny that Shelton actually followed his initial remark by saying that he “felt like a dumbass,” because… well, enough said. Even Kid Rock, though he dabbled in all corners of his extensive and diverse catalog this evening, is principally a country star these days.

Sure, Kid opened with the rap-rock banger “Devil Without a Cause” (off the 1998 album of the same name that launched his mainstream career), and he made sure that old-school fans got to headbang along to the unforgettable “Bawitdaba” as his main-set closer. But most people seemed far more stoked for honky-tonk-steeped cuts such as “Purple Sky” and a melodic remix of “Cowboy.”

Given how he thanked his audience for “spending (their) hard-earned money” to see him, gave a shout-out to military personnel and veterans in attendance and reminded the audience that they “live in the greatest country in the world” – all before launching into his final encore tune, “Born Free,” complete with an oversized U.S. flag backdrop and full gospel choir – it seems safe to assert that Kid Rock fully embodies the idea of “country.” Feels weird to say that when I think back to buying Devil Without a Cause in the same week as Korn’s Follow the Leader, when both were lumped into the same nu-metal/hard-rock market of the era. But hey, kudos to Kid for surpassing his limitations.

The festival’s final act, Bob Seger and his trusty Silver Bullet Band, also sometimes explore country territory; coincidentally, he contributed piano and vocals to Kid Rock’s last album, Born Free. That collaboration (plus shared Detroit origins) probably accounts for Kid’s re-emergence during the headliner’s main-set closer, a cover of Vince Gill’s “Real Mean Bottle.” But throughout this large-scale occasion, Seger offered so much more.

Fest fans – some of whom I met that traveled from as far away as the U.K. – got all the hits: the baritone-sax-driven “Roll Me Away” and “Old Time Rock and Roll” near the start; much-beloved “Mainstreet” only a few songs later, and toward the night’s end, the grand-piano-led “Turn the Page.” That song’s brooding feel struck me as so remarkably similar to some of Trent Reznor’s work, I wouldn’t be surprised if it had served as some kind of inspiration for many of Nine Inch Nails’ most solemn compositions.

Aside from that cut, however, nearly everything else Seger served up was upbeat, the Hall of Famer fully energized, grinning and grooving like a madman, often raising his fists triumphantly as the Silver Bullet Band indulged elaborate solos. The set was dominated by jazz- and funk-infused rhythms, including a cover of Little Richard’s “Going Back to Birmingham,” Tina Turner’s classic “Nutbush City Limits” and, of course, “Rock and Roll Never Forgets” (the subtitle of a new two-disc retrospective, due next week) to close the second and final encore.

Watching Seger and his top-notch crew at an outdoor fest like this was akin to seeing legends like Stevie Wonder at Austin City Limits earlier this year, or Paul McCartney and Roger Waters at Coachella a few years back. Despite his triumph, though, Orlando Calling may have taken a gamble on billing two distinctly different days for its first year. Can’t help but wonder if noticeably lower attendance for Day 1 might have packed a financially detrimental punch.

But if the new event can keep tapping first-rate mainstays like Seger, plus more special one-offs like the Killers to draw in fans from around the globe – or perhaps even add a third day featuring, say, popular hip-hop to advance its cause – I’d say this bash has a reasonably good chance of being recognized among the growing list of respected U.S. music festivals.

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